YHA has warmly welcomed the Government’s announcement that young people will be a cornerstone of their pledge to improve access to nature ahead of COP28.
The new package of measures announced by the Government on Wednesday 29th November, include more funding to connect children with nature, building on the success of the groundbreaking Generation Green project which was led by us.
The 16-month Defra-funded Generation Green project was delivered by the not-for-profit Access Unlimited coalition, comprising YHA, Girlguiding, Scouts, Field Studies Council, The Outward Bound Trust and the 10 National Parks in England. The project opened up 118,000 positive life-impacting opportunities for children to access and connect to nature.
The Government has now pledged a further £2.5 million to connect more children from under-represented groups. The funding will help deliver the Government’s commitment set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan for everyone to be within 15 minutes of a green space or water and to reduce barriers to access. This builds on research from the Defra Landscapes Review undertaken by Julian Glover, which confirms that 18% of children living in the most deprived areas never visit nature at all.
James Blake, our Chief Executive said: “This is very positive news and an important commitment by the Government which recognises that access to nature is key to young people.
“We are pleased to see the success of Generation Green recognised – having seen firsthand how it has helped to ensure over 115,000 young people see for themselves the importance of nature and help realise Julian Glover’s vision of every child being able to have a night under the stars.
“Set within the context of climate change, it has never been more important that the next generations fall in love with nature and are given opportunities to visit it.
“We look forward to seeing more detail from the Government and working with them on next steps.”
We will be working with our partners and the Government to continue to make sure young people have these opportunities.
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